New York Knicks wing Josh Hart had a hilarious quote about Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler and how he approaches an NBA season.
Hart said that Butler does “side quests” until April before truly locking in for the playoff run. With the Knicks and Heat matching up on April 2, Hart is expecting the best of Butler’s game to be on display.
Josh Hart on Jimmy Butler:
"Jimmy kind of does side quests during the year until about April. Then he starts locking in. I’m sure people are going to see that maniac competitive side now that he’s done with the side quests and he’s on to the main quest."
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) April 2, 2024
The main quest for Butler appears to be winning an NBA title, and he’s come close in Miami, leading the team to the NBA Finals in the 2019-20 season and 2022-23 season.
Hart knows all too well how Butler can turn things on in the playoffs, as he knocked the Knicks out of the postseason in the second round last season.
For the entire playoffs, the six-time All-Star averaged 26.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game across 22 contests. He shot 46.8 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from 3-point range.
Against the Milwaukee Bucks (last season’s No. 1 seed), who Butler and the Heat upset in the first round, the Heat star scored 35 points in Game 1 to lead the team to an upset victory.
Then, he followed that up with monster performances in Game 4 and Game 5 of that series to close things out. In Game 4, Butler scored 56 points, hitting 19 of his 28 shots from the field. He then turned in a huge Game 5, scoring 42 points in Milwaukee to clinch the series.
This season, Butler has played in just 52 games so far for the Heat, but he’s been productive when he’s been in the lineup. The Heat star is averaging 21.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and a career-high 41.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Earlier this season, the five-time All-NBA selection had an epic response when asked about how he turns things on in the playoffs.
“You mean how can I turn into the greatest basketball player in the world all of a sudden?” Butler told Bleacher Report at the time. “I don’t know, man.”
He explained how badly he and his teammates want to win and how he wants to be the best version of himself in the most crucial part of the season.
“I’m just different,” Butler said. “I think this is when you’re supposed to be playing your best basketball and you have to find a way to get your team to win these games when you’re talking about the playoffs coming around. But even right now, you’re getting everybody into their roles. You’re getting in a rhythm. And with my music, I’m getting in my rhythm. Speaking for myself and everybody else in this locker room, we want to win. That’s our focus.”
The Knicks and Heat could end up meeting in the playoffs once again in the 2023-24 season, and Hart and New York certainly want to be ready for the best version of Butler if they do.
The final meeting of the 2023-24 regular season between the Knicks and Heat is scheduled to take place on Tuesday night in Miami.
